Newman DB Ronnie Vinson Jr. commits to play football at LSU

The office of LSU Coach Les Miles was scene to an impromptu commitment party Monday afternoon. The guest of honor was Newman athlete Ronnie Vinson Jr., who had quite a busy day.

In a span of a few hours, Vinson completed a morning workout with his Newman teammates, informed Greenies Coach Nelson Stewart of his decision to commit to LSU and then drove to Baton Rouge with Stewart to tell LSU's coach during a break in Miles' LSU Tiger Football Camp.

"He was very happy," Vinson said via telephone on his drive back to New Orleans. "He went and got the rest of the coaching staff. They came in and congratulated me. We all hugged, and we were all excited."

Vinson, 5 feet 11, 190 pounds, with 4.5 speed in the 40, is LSU's 11th commitment for 2010 and a huge in-state prize for the Tigers. He is rated as the nation's No.¤14 overall athlete by rivals.com and the 124th prospect overall on a list of the top 250 players.

LSU's fifth in-state commitment, Vinson attracted more than 20 official offers that included five other finalists in Southern California, UCLA, Alabama, Michigan and Ole Miss. Vinson also had offers from Tulane, Texas A&M and Colorado. He was recruited by LSU defensive backs coach Ron Cooper and projects as a full qualifier academically.

LSU coaches project Vinson as a cornerback, although he was recruited as an offensive and defensive player by various other schools, Stewart said. Vinson primarily played strong safety and running back last season for Newman, but also returned punts and played wide receiver en route to earning Class 2A All-State honors as a defensive back.

LSU is "getting a very, very special football player," Stewart said. "We think what sets him apart is he has a tremendous amount of athleticism. He has size. He has speed and strength. He changes direction very well. He's a threat with the ball in his hands on either side of the ball. He's a selfless player. He's very humble, but he's an outstanding player. He's looking to prove himself in the SEC."

Vinson is Newman's first Division I prospect since quarterback Damien Carter signed with Southern Mississippi in 2003. The Greenies two previous Division I signees were Eli Manning with Ole Miss in 1999 and Peyton Manning with Tennessee in 1994.

"It's just an honor to be mentioned with that group of athletes," Vinson said.

"For us (at Newman), it's a really big moment," Stewart said. "He obviously is a national recruit, and he put a lot of thought into this. This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. He spoke about it with his family. It was his decision, but it also was a family decision. He's awfully excited to be a Tiger."

Vinson finalized his lean toward choosing the Tigers following an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge with his parents Ronnie Sr. and Bridget on Saturday to meet with faculty members of LSU's E.J. Ourso College of Business. He also said he plans to take no other official visits other than one to LSU.

"With school over with, I got a chance to lay things out on the table and talk everything over with my family," Vinson said. "I got a chance to learn about (LSU's) business school and meet some instructors in the business department. I felt good about it. It just came out to be a perfect fit with LSU. LSU stood out to me throughout the process."

Mike Strom can be reached at mstrom@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3787. Pierce W. Huff can be reached at phuff@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3809.